Pieces Of A Man
Heron Gil Scott Lyrics

?Jacky? jigsaw pieces
The scattered pieces on the floor resemble a jigsaw puzzle.

Tossed about the room
The pieces are moved about aimlessly.

I saw my grandma sweepin'
The grandmother is the one cleaning the mess.

With her old straw broom
She is using an old, frail tool to sweep.

But she didn't what she was doin'
She doesn't quite understand what she's cleaning up.

She could hardly understand
She struggles to comprehend the situation.

That she was really sweepin' up
She's cleaning up the remains of a man.

Pieces of a man
The mess on the ground is the leftover remnants of a man's life.

I saw my daddy greet the mailman
The artist now shifts to a different memory.

And I heard the mailman say
The artist is now privy to a conversation.

"now don't you take this letter to heart now Jimmy
The mailman is warning the father not to get too upset.

Cause they've laid off nine others today"
The letter contains bad news about layoffs at work.

But he didn't know what he was saying
The mailman may not fully understand the gravity of the situation.

He could hardly understand
The mailman is struggling to convey the message effectively.

That he was only talkin' to
The conversation was just with a mere part of a man.

Pieces of a man
The letter delivered contains news that contributes to the breaking down of a man.

I saw the thunder and heard the lightnin'!
The mood in the lyrics shifts once more to a stormy day.

And felt the burden of his shame
The heavy downpour exacerbates the feeling of shame.

And for some unknown reason
Something about the situation remains unclear.

He never turned my way
The figurative 'he' remains unresponsive to the artist.

Pieces of that letter
The bad news contained in the letter contributes further to the disintegrating man.

Were tossed about that room
The letter no longer holds any real value, only contributing further to the mess on the floor.

And now I hear the sound of sirens
The mood shifts darkly once again.

Come knifing through the gloom
The sound intrudes with a sharpness.

But they don't know what they are doing
Whatever the sirens are rushing to do might not be the right response.

They could hardly understand
The authorities might not grasp the gravity of the situation.

That they're only arrestin'
Whatever the authorities are doing is only addressing part of the man.

Pieces of a man
The authorities act on the remains of a man, which is only a part of who he was.

I saw him go to pieces
Finally, the artist reflects on that which was seen.

I saw him go to pieces
The man broke down completely.

He was always such a good man
This man was once whole, a positive influence in the lives of others.

He was always such a strong strong man
This man had notable strengths, both inwardly and outwardly.

Yeah, I saw him go to pieces
The breakdown was truly witnessed.

I saw him go to pieces"
The man became nothing but a collection of scattered parts that no one could put back together.